Mat feathering apparatus



March 9, 1965 w. M. HULAK MAT FEATHERING APPARATUS '7 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 19, 1964 INVENTOR- VIILLIAM M. H

j UL'AK 72AM;

ATTORNEYS March '9, 1965 w. M. HULAK MAT FEATHERING APPARATUS '7Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- WILLIAM M. y BY ATTORN EYS Filed March 19, 1964March 9, 1965 w. M. HULAK 7 MAT FEATHERING APPARATUS Filed March 19,1964 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM ll. HULAK ATTORNEYS March 9, 1965 w. M. HULAK MAT FEATHERINGAPPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 19, 1964 INVENTOR.

WILLlA HUI-AK ATTORNEYS March 9, 1965 w. M. HULAK MAT FEATHERINGAPPARATUS 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 19, 1964 INVENTOR- WILLIAM M.HULAK ATTORNEYS March 9, 1965 Filed March 19, 1964 IZSw W. M. HULAK MATFEATHERING APPARATUS Fig. 8

7 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR.

\YILLIAM u. HULAK ATTORN EYS March 9, 1965 w. M. HULAK 3,172,590

MAT FEATHERING APPARATUS Filed March 19, 1964 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 8. mm.XWAK INVENTOR. WILLIAI M.HULA!$ B ZZAfi/M/ MM ATTORNEYS United StatesPatent Ofifice 3,172,590 Patented Mar. 9, 1965 The present inventionrelates generally to the preparation of fiber matting for use in themanufacture of a wide variety of fiber-reinforced plastic articles, suchas molded plastic sheets, tubes, containers, and tanks, which arefabricated by laying up porous, fibrous mats approximately in the shapeof the article to be produced and impregnating the fibrous mattingsheets with a liquid resin which is thereafter cured or set to achieve amolded, substantially homogeneous structure.

This invention is particularly concerned with the production offiber-reinforced, plastic, pressure vessels and tanks, such as domesticwater softener tanks and hot water tanks, which are subjected topressures of considerable magnitude and thus are required to have a highbursting strength. Accordingly, the main objective of the invention isto provide an apparatus which facilitates the fabrication processgenerally described above in a manner which makes it possible tomanufacture seamless, leakproof tanks and similar articles ofunexpectedly improved strength.

A more specific and preferred procedure which may be employed forfabricating articles of the type described is generally set forth in thecopending application of Arthur J. Wiltshire, Serial No. 63,082, filedOctober 17, 1960, and includes the steps Of wrapping a plurality ofsuperimposed, flat sheeting mats in a single turn around an expandablemandrel to form a multilayer, cylindrical, matting form. The flatsheeting mats used in this process are preferably constructed ofrandomly distributed, chopped glass fibers of substantially uniformlengths which are bonded together by suitable cured binders to form aporous, fibrous mat. Mats of this type are well known in the art and arecommercially available in standard Widths. In accordance with thepractice described in the above-identified copending application, thewrapped sheets of matting have a width substantially equal to thecircumference of the finally molded tank and have opposite end edgescorrespondingly feathered or beveled in parallel planes from oppositesides of the mats, each mat being wrapped around the mandrel so that onefeathered end edge loosely overlaps the body of the mat adjacent theother feathered end edge.

Having laid up the fibrous sheets of mats around the mandrel in theforegoing manner, the mandrel is axially positioned within an open end,cylindrical mold casing and then expanded to position and compress thecylindrical matting form against the inner surface of the mold casing.As this expansion of the cylindrical matting form takes place, theoverlapped ends of each mat are drawn apart until the feathered endedges slide into mating juxtaposition so that the fibers of the mattingare uniformly distributed and compacted over the inner mold surface.Thereupon, the mandrel is contracted and removed from within the moldcasing and is replaced by a fluid-expandable bag having an expandedshape conforming to the desired shape of the molded tank. Alternately,the expandable mandrel may be left in place and used as a substitute forthe inflatable bag.

As disclosed in the above-identified Wiltshire application, the nextstep in molding closed end tanks has been to telescope preformed fibermatting pieces or caps onto the upper and lower ends of the positioned,cylindrical, matting form. The open end casing is then closed by moldcasing caps having the general configuration of the preformed fibermatting pieces or caps. With the matting forms and bags thus assembledwithin the closed mold, the bag is initially expanded to bring it intocontact over its entire surface with the inner surface of the laid-upmatting form. Liquid resin, which may be any resin settable by heat, acatalyst, or both, is then introduced into the bottom of the mold andcaused to permeate the fiber matting forms. The bag is subsequentlyexpanded by further inflation to progressively compress the fibermatting forms in such a manner as to distribute the resin throughout thematting and express resin from the mold, whereupon the resin is set orcured while maintaining maximum bag pressure. The resulting, finished,molded article is a substantially closed, hollow tank of the characterdescribed and claimed in Donald W. Randolph Patent No. 3,010,602.

It has been found that, when a discontinuity exists in the moldedarticle, as for example between the longitudinal edges of thecylindrically wrapped matting form and/ or between the ends of thecylindrical matting form and the fiber end caps, the strength of thetank is adversely affected. One reason for this detrimental effect isthought to be that the fiberzresin ratio in the areas of thediscontinuities is less than in other portions of the article. As aresult, a resin-rich and structurally weak region is created which issubject to leakage and failure and which has a dilferent modulus ofelasticity than the rest of the tank structure and, therefore,contributes to localized concentrations of flexure stresses causingfatigue failures. Another reason is thought to be that, when thediscontinuities are formed by overlapped mat edges, the edges createstress risers, which result in premature failure. This latter defect hasbeen exhibited by water softener tanks which are normally subjected tofluctuating internal pressures. Such tanks have been found to fail incircumferential zones located at the points where the fiber end capswere telescoped into the ends of the cylindrical matting form and thenrepeatedly expanded radially outwardly over the end edges of the mattingforms by the pressure variations in the tanks.

In order to overcome the foregoing difiiculties, it has been foundadvantageous to bevel or feather mating edges of the fibrous mats sothat they blend into each other instead of creating a sharp line ofdemarcation and a resultant seam in the molded article. This practice isillustrated in the above-identified Wiltshire application, wherein thelongitudinal edges of the mats making up the wrapped, cylindrical formare feathered so that these edges of each mat blend into one anotherwhen the matting form is positioned and compressed against the innermold surface.

Apparatus for continuously separating a continuous strip of mat intomatting forms having opposite, feathered edges is set forth in thecopending application of Arthur J. Wiltshire and Richard C. Brussee,Serial No. 98,617, filed March 27, 1961, now Patent No. 3,133,684. As isset forth more fully in that application, the apparatus includes meansto form separated mat sections having two opposite feathered edges.These feathered edges are formed across the width of the continuousmatting strip and form top and bottom seams in a finished cylindricaltank.

These matting sections, therefore, have two feathered edges as they arefed from the machine. Since, as is set forth in the copendingapplication of Wiltshire, Serial No. 63,082, it is desirable to featherall of the mating edges of mat sections, these sections may bereinserted in the machine for further feathering operations.

The reinsertion of the partially feathered mat sections into themachine, however, involves a modification of the machine and operationof the machine on a piece-by-piece O basis. The present invention is animprovement to the machine set forth in the above-identified applicationof Wiltshire and Erussee, so that it may be operated on a continuousbasis to feather three edges of the mat section. While it is highlydesirable to feather all of the edges of a mat section, as was indicatedabove, acceptable tanks may be produced by feathering three edges.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus forfeathering the edges of porous, fibrous mats to facilitate the improvedfabricating process described above.

Another object ofthe invention is toprovide an apparatus forlongitudinally separating and feathering a strip of fibrous mattingmaterial and then pulling mat'sections of variable lengths from theseparated strip to provide mat sections having three uniformly featherededges.

As noted above, the matting material which is used in the fabrication offiber-reinforced articles of the type described consists of a mass ofrandomly distributed fibers of substantially uniform length. Inaccordance with the present invention, apparatus is provided whichincludes means to longitudinally separate into longitudinal sections andfeather a continuous strip of matting material and which apparatusincludes cooperating transversely extending clamps, each of which hasrelatively movable platens for grippingly engaging the longitudinallyseparated and feathered matting material. The transversely extendingclamps are relatively movable from a clamping position in which they areparallel to each other and spaced apart a distance slightly exceedingthe fiber lengths of the material, to a second position in which theyare parallel to each other and spaced a greater distance apart. Relativemovement of these clamps from the clamping position to the secondpositionis effective to pull apart and separate the longitudinallyextending mat sections so as to leave the adjacent, separated transverseedges thereof in the desired, feathered condition.

The novel construction of the apparatus comprising the invention is suchthat all of the pulling means grip the matting material with a uniformpressure. Because of this construction, the pulled apart edges of thematting will be uniformly feathered as the mat is separated.

The invention also includesrneans for feeding a continuous strip of matthrough the machine'in accordance with the amount of mat required at theclamping and pulling station, so that the longitudinal and transversefeathering operations may be performed in a continuous manner.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description and from the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1a is a side elevational view of one portion of the apparatuscomprising the present invention;

FIGURE 1b is a side elevational view of another portion of the apparatuscomprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus according to thisinvention, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 2-2 inFIGURE lb;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus according to thisinvention, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 33 inFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus according to thisinvention, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 4-4 inFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of the longitudinalseparating mechanism according to this invention, the plane of thesection being indicated by the line 55 in FIGURE lb;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a portion of the apparatus according to thepresent invention, the plane of the section being indicated by the line66 in FIGURE 1b;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevational view in crosssection of a portion of the apparatus illustrated in FIGURE la;

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view of the apparatus, the

4. plane of the section being indicated by the line 38 in FIGURE la;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view of the apparatus, the plane of the sectionbeing indicated by the line 9-9 in FIGURE 1a;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view of the apparatus, the plane of the sectionbeing indicated by the line 1010 in FIGURE 1a.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIGURES 1a and lb, anapparatus is shown for pulling apart a strip of the above-described.matting into mat sections having uniformly feathered or beveled,pulled-apart edges. In operation, this apparatus may be used for thedual purpose of forming matting sections of the proper size to bewrapped into cylindrical form for the previously described fabricatingprocess and for feathering three edges of these mat sections on acontinuous basis.

As is shown in FIGURES 1b and 2, the apparatus for forming mat sectionshaving feathered, pulled-apart, end edges comprises a machine portion 20for longitudinally separating and feathering a strip of matting 21. Themachine portion 20 includes spaced apart, vertical, side plates 22 and23 which are secured at their top and bottom ends by cross beams 24.Frame members 25 extend from the side plates 22 and 23 and support apair of vertical columns 26. The strip of matting 21 is initially woundin a roll 27 which is mounted between the vertical columns 26. Thematting 21 is trained under an idler roll 28 and onto a fiat table 29which extends outwardly from the side plates 22 and 23.

The strip of matting 21 is fed through the machine portion 20 by a beltand drum wheel arrangement. This arrangement includes a first pair oftiming belts 30 and 31 and a cooperating pair of drum wheels 32 and 33.The belt 30 is trained around pulleys 34, 35, and 36, and the belt 31 istrained around'pulleys 37, '38, and 39. Three pairs of pulleys, whichrespectively comprise the pulleys 34 and 37, 35 and 38, and '36 and 39,are respectively mounted on shafts 40, 41, and 42. The shafts 40, 41,and 42 are journaled for rotation between the'side plate 22 and anintermediate plate 43.

As may be seen most clearly in FIGURE 2, the drum wheels 32 and 33 arefixed to a shaft 44 which is journaled for rotation between the sideplate 22 and an intermediate plate 45. The drum wheels 32 and 33respectively bear against the belts 30 and 31, and, as may be seen inFIGURE 3, the wheels 32 and 33 push the belts upwardly so that the beltsand drum wheels define arcuate paths between the pulleys 35 and 36 andbetween the pulleys 38 and 39.

The belt in drum wheel arrangement further includes a second pair ofbelts 45 and 46 and a cooperating pair of drum wheels 47 and 48. Thebelt 45 is trained around pulleys 49, 50, and 51, and the belt 46 istrained around pulleys 52, 53, and 54 (FIGURE 4). Three pairs ofpulleys, which respectively comprise the pulleys 49 and '52, 50 and 53,and 51 and 54, are respectively mounted on shafts 55, 56, and 57 (FIGURE4). The shafts 55, 56, and 57 are journaled for rotation between-theside plate 23 and an intermediate plate 58.

As also shown most clearly in FIGURE 2, the drum wheels 47 and 48 arefixed to a shaft 59 which is journaled for rotation between the sideplates 23 and an intermediate plate 60. The drum wheels 47 and 48respectively bear against the belts 45 and 46, and, as may be seen inFIGURE 4, the wheels 47 and 48 push the belts downwardly so that thebelts and drum wheels define arcuate paths between the pulleys 50 and 51and between the pulleys 53 and'54.

The belts 30, 31, 45, and 46 are driven to advance the matting 21 in thedirection of the arrows in FIGURE 3 and 4 by a motor 61. The motor 61drives the shaft 42 and, therefore, the belts 30 and 31 through a chain62. A spur gear 63 is mounted on the end of the shaft 42 and is inengagement with an identical spur gear 64 which is mounted on the end ofa shaft 65. The shaft 65 extends across the machine to the side plate 23and drives the shaft 56 through a spur gear 66 which is mounted on theother end of the shaft 65 in driving relationship with a chain 67 and anidentical spur gear 68 which is mounted on the end of the shaft 56.

As may be seen in FIGURES 2, 3, and 4, the Wheel drums 32, 33, 47, and48 are idler wheels that are driven by their engagement with the mat 21.As the mat passes through the machine portion 20, a first longitudinalportion 80 of the mat 21 follows an upwardly curved arcuate path withrespect to the plane of the table 29, and a second longitudinal portion81 of the mat 21 follows a downwardly curved, arcuate path with respectto the plane of the table 29. As these portions 88 and 81 follow theirdiverse paths, they are separated from each other and thereby providedwith uniformly feathered end edges 80a and 81a, respectively. A blade 82(FIGS. 1b and 3) is provided at the outfeed end of the portion 20 toinsure that these portions have been completely separated.

A longitudinally separated and uniformly feathered mat 21, whichcomprises the portions 86 and 81, is trained over a guide bar 83 at theoutfeed end of the machine portion 26 and under a cross roll 84 of aloop control mechanism 85. The control mechanism 85 comprises framemembers 86 and 87 which are pivotally connected to pins 88 and 89 (FIG.6), respectively. The cross roll 84 is rotatably mounted between thefree ends of the frame members 86 and 87 and rests on the mat sections80 and 81. A cam plate 90 is fixed to the frame member 87 and engages alimit switch 91 as the cross roll 84 is raised by the mat sections 80and 81. When the cam plate 90 strikes the limit switch 91, the motor 61is energized to advance the mat 21 through the machine portion 20 in thepreviously described manner. As will hereinafter become apparent, themat 21 is intermittently driven through the machine portion 20 when thecam plate trips the limit switch 91, and a loop is thereby maintained atthe outfeed end of the machine portion 20.

Referring now to FIGURE 1a, a second portion 100 of the machine isillustrated. The machine portion 100 is employed to pull apart thelongitudinal mat sections 80 and 81 into substantially uniform sectionshaving uniformly feathered or beveled, pulled-apart, transverse edges.This portion of the apparatus is fully described in the above-identifiedcopending application, Serial No. 98,617, but will be briefly describedbelow.

As shown in FIGURE la, the machine portion 100 comprises a frame 125having a bed 126 for supporting the longitudinally separated matsections 80 and 81. A feeding clamp 129 is slidably connected to theframe 125 for feeding the mat sections to a pair of clamps 130 and 131connected to the frame at the other end of the bed 126.

The clamp 130 is fixedly secured to the frame 125 and functions to clampand hold the matting portions fed by the feeding clamp 129. The clamp131 is pivotally connected to the frame adjacent to the clamp 13 and ismovable from a first clamping position (shown in solid line position inFIG. la) in which the clamps 130 and 131 are in parallel, spacedadjacency, to a second clamping position (shown in phantom outline inFIG. 1a) in which the clamps are parallel to each other and spaced agreater distance apart. Movement of the clamp 131 from its firstclamping position toits second clamping position is effective to pullapart the mat sections 80 and 81 between the clamps and to uniformlyfeather the pulled apart transverse edges thereof.

The bed 126 comprises a plurality of endless belts 136 which have theirupper surfaces in a horizontal plane. The belts 136 are horizontallyspaced from each other and are mounted around a belt roller 137, whichis adjacent the loop control mechanism 85, and a corresponding roller138 adjacent the clamp 13%. Both rollers are '6 freely rotatable onshafts 139 and 148, respectively, which are mounted on the frame 125.

The feeding clamp 129 is formed by an upper platen 145 and a lowerplaten 146 which are movable toward and away from each other. The lowerplaten 146 extends from one side of the frame to the other side thereofbetween the upper and lower reaches of the belts 136, and has secured toeach of its ends a plate 147 which projects upwardly above the belts. Asshown most clearly in FIGURE 8, the upper platen is pivotally connectedto these plates 147 so that it may be rocked toward the lower platen 146to clamp the mat 21 therebetween. Preferably, the cooperating clampingsurfaces of the platens are provided with soft rubber pads 148 so thatthe glass fibers of the mat sections. will not be broken.

Rocking movement of the upper platen 145 is effected by double actingfluid cylinders 149. Each of the cylinders 149 is secured to an end ofthe lower platen 146 and has its piston rod connected to the upperplaten 145.

The ends of the lower platen 146 are provided with bearing blocks 150which slidably support the entire feeding clamp on the bars 151 whichextend along the sides of the frame 125. Sliding movement of the feedingclamp 129 along the bars 151 is effected by a chain 152. which has oneend connected to the front surface of the lower platen 146 and its otherend connected to the rear surface of the lower platen. The chain 152 isengaged around sprocket gears 153 fixed to the shaft 139 and 140 and isdriven by a reversible motor 154 which is mounted on the frame 125 belowthe shaft 140 and which drives another sprocket gear 155 also engagedwith the chain.

In order to prevent the feeding clamp 129 from cocking as it is slidalong the bars 151, the clamp 129 is provided with a shaft 156 which isrotatably connected to the front of the lower platen 146. A rack gear157 is fixed on each end of the shaft 156, and these rack gearscooperate with racks 158 mounted on the frame 125 below the bars 151.

The fluid cylinders 149 and the motor 154 are in circuit relation with apair of limit switches 159 and 160 mounted on one of the bars 151 andwith a limit switch 161 operatively mounted between the platens 145 and146. The switches 159 and 160 are respectively located in front and inback of the feeding clamp 129 so that they will be alternately actuatedwhen the feeding clamp reaches the end of its travel in one direction.The switch 161 is mounted on the feeding clamp so that it will be closedwhen the upper platen is rocked into a clamping position.

In operation, the fluid cylinders 149 are actuated to clamp the matsections 81) and 81 and the belts 136 between the platens 145 and 146when the feeding clamp is in its rear position shown in FIGURE 1a. Thisclamping action closes the limit switch 161 which starts the motor 154.The motor 154 operates to pull the feed clamp forwardly until it is inthe position illustrated in phantom outline in FIGURE 1a. Forwardmovement of the feed clamp serves to feed the mat sections 811 and 81toward the clamps 130 and 131. 7

When the feed clamp reaches its forward position, the switch 159 iscontacted and closed. This stops the motor 154 and causes the fluidcylinders 149 to be actuated to open the feed clamp 129 and the switch161. Thereupon the motor 154 is actuated to reverse the movement of thefeed clamp and draw it back to its rear position.

Reverse movement of the feed clamp brings it into contact with theswitch 160 which, when closed, again stops the motor 154. Closure of theswitch 160 is also effective to again actuate the cylinders 149 so thatthe mat sections 80 and 81 and the belts 136 are clamped between theplatens 145 and 146, thus completing one cycle of operation andinitiating the next cycle.

In the illustrated embodiment of the apparatus, the limit switch 159 isadjustably connected to the bars 151 so that the amount of. travel ofthe feed clamp 129 can be varied.

Thus, when pulling mat sections which-are to be laid up to form thecylindrical bodies of pressure tanks, the limit switch 159 can beadjusted toward or away from the limit switch 168 so that the feed clamp120 moves a distance in one direction substantially equal to the lengthof the tanks to be formed.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 9 and 10 which show the detailedconstruction of the clamps 138 and 131.

Each clamp 130 and 131 respectively includes a lower platen 175 and 185and an upper platen 176 and 186. The upper platens are only slightlylonger than the lower platens and are movable toward the lower platensto clamp the mat sections 80 and 81 which are positioned therebetween bythe feed clamp 129. The clamps 130 and 131 are preferably provided withsoft rubber pads 177 and 187, respectively, on the clamping faces of theupper and lower platens to avoid damaging the glass fibers of thematting strip.

As shown most clearly in FIGURE 9, the lower platen 175 of the clamp 139is rigidly connected at its center to its frame 125 by a brace 178. Theends of the lower platen 175 are provided with knife guides 179 forguidingly receiving the blades 180 which are secured to the sides of theframe 125 to extend into the bottom of the guides. The upper platen 176is provided with oppositely extending blades 181 which are guidinglyreceived in the tops of the guides 179.

Movement of the upper platen 176 toward and away from the lower platen175 is effected by double-acting piston-cylinder mechanisms 182. Thecylinders of these mechanisms 182 are fastened to the sides of the frame125 and their piston rods are fastened to the ends of the upper platen176. When the piston-cylinder mechanisms 182 are actuated to draw theupper platen 176 downwardly into clamping cooperation with the lowerplaten 175, the ends of the lower platen will deflect downwardly and theblades 180 will move upwardly in the guides 179. At the same time, theends of the upper platen will be correspondingly deflected or bowed withthe blades 181 moving downwardly in the guides 179.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 10, it will be seen that the lowerplaten 185 of the clamp 131 is pivotally connected at its center to theframe 125 by a brace 188 which is fixed on the pivot shaft 193. Thisshaft 193 is coextensive with the lower platen and is supported bybearing blocks 194 which are mounted on the frame 125.

At each end of the shaft 193 is fixed a plate 195. These plates carrydouble-acting piston-cylinder mechanisms 192 which have their pistonrods fastened to the ends of the upper platen 186 for moving it towardand away from the lower platen 185. When the piston-cylinder mechanisms192 are actuated to draw the upper platen 186 into clamping cooperationwith the lower platen 185, the ends of both platens will be boweddownwardly in the manner discussed in connection with the clamps 139.The ends of the platens are guided for this deflecting movement by knifeguides 189 which are secured to the ends of the lower platen. Theseguides 189 guidingly receive blades 19!), which are secured to the topsurface of the plates 195, and opposed blades 191 which extenddownwardly from the upper platen 186 to the top ends of the guides.

As has been previously described, the clamp 131 is pivotally movablefrom a first clamping position of parallel, spaced adjacency to theclamp 130, to a second clamping position in which the clamps are spacedfurther apart. From its clamping position shown in FIGURE 1a, the clamp131 is spaced from the clamp 130 a distance slightly exceeding theuniform fiber lengths of the mat sections 88 and 81 so that it isimpossible for the clamps 130 and 131 to clamp the opposite ends ofindividual fibers. In its pivoted position shown in phantom outline inFIGURE 1a, the platens of the clamp 131 are adjacent a sloping table 198which forms a part of the frame 125.

Pivoting movement of the clamp 131 is accomplished by a pair ofdouble-acting piston-cylinder mechanisms 1%.

As shown most clearly in FIGURES 1a and 10, the cylinders of thesemechanisms 196 are pivotally connected to the frame below the table 198.The piston rods are pivotally connected to the front face of the lowerplaten 185.

A limit switch 197 (FIGURE 1a) is mounted on the clamp in a position tobe closed when the upper platen 176 is moved into clamping cooperationwith the lower platen 175. This limit switch 197 is in circuit relationwith the reversible motor 154, which drives the feed clamp .129, andwith the piston-cylinder mechanisms 195. The previously described limitswitch 159 is in circuit relation with the piston-cylinder mechanisms182 and 192, and the limit switch 168 is in circuit relation with thepiston-cylinder mechanisms 182, 192, and196.

In operation, the previously described closure of the limit switch 161starts the motor 154 and the feed clamp 129 is pulled forwardly to theposition illustrated in phantom outline in FIGURE in. As themat sections80 and 81 are pulled through the looper mechanisms 85, the cross roll 84is moved upwardly until the cam plate 98 strikes and closes the limitswitch 91. Closure of the limit switch 91 starts the motor 61 to drivethe mat 21 through the machine portion 21). It is desirable that thesurface driving speeds of the drum wheel and belt arrangement in themachine portion 20 be correlated to correspond to the surface speed ofthe feeding clamp 129 so that a substantially constant loop length willbe maintained in the mechanism 85. When the feeding clamp 129 is in itsforward position, the switch 159 is contacted and closed. This stops themotor 154 and actuates the cylinders 182 and 192 to clamp the matsections 80 and 81 between the platens 175, 176 and 185, 186 of clamps130 and 131, respectively. The motor 61 continues to run until the camplate 96 leaves the limit switch 91. The clamping action of the clamps175 and 176 closes the switch 197 which actuates the motor 154 to drivethe feed clamp 129 toward the rear end of the frame 125. Closing theswitch 1% also actuates the cylinders 196 to separate the clamps130 and131.

,VVhen the feed clamp 129 reachest the rear end of the frame and closesthe switch 160, the cylinders 182 and 192 are actuated to unclamp theportions 80 and '81. Closing the switch also actuates the cylinders 196to pivotally move the clamp 131 back to its clamping position ofparallel, spaced adjacency to the clamp 130.

As is more particularly pointed out in the above-identified copendingapplication of Wiltshire and Brussee, the construction of the clamps 138and 131 permitsthese clamps to apply the desired, uniform, clampingpressure across the width of the mat sections 80 and 81.

Many modifications and variations of the illustrated, preferredembodiment of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the artin light of the above disclosure. Therefore, it is to be understoodthat, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may bepracticed other wise than as specifically shown and described herein.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for pulling a feathered edge on a fibrous matcomprising a frame, a pair of relatively movable clamps mounted on saidframe for clamping a pair of portions of said mat with uniform clampingpressures, said clamps being movable vfrom a first clamping position inwhich said portions of the mat are spaced apart with the edges of one ofsaid clampsparal-lel to and spaced a distance apart from the adjacentedges of the other one of said clamps to a second position in which theedges of said clamps are parallel to each other and spaced a greaterdistance apart and during which movement said adjacent edges aremaintained mutually parallel as the distance between said adjacent edgesincreases, and means connected to said frame and to at least one of saidclamps for separating said clamps to pull apart a mat held thereby anduniformly feather the pulled-apart mat edges, the combination therewithof the improvement which comprises feeding means for said apparatus,said feeding means including means to separate said mat longitudinallyand to feather adjacent, longitudinal edges of resulting, separated, matsections, the separating means comprising first guiding means forguiding a first longitudinal section of said mat in a first directionand second guiding means for guiding a second longitudinal section ofsaid mat in a second d-irecton to thereby separate said mat sections anduniformly feather the separated edges thereof.

2. In an apparatus for pulling a feathered edge on a fibrous matcomprising a frame, a pair of relatively movable clamps mounted on saidframe for clamping a pair of portions of said mat with uniform clampingpressures, said clamps being movable from a first clamping position inwhich said portions of the mat are spaced apart with the edges of one ofsaid clamps parallel to and spaced a distance apart from the adjacentedges of the other one of said clamps to a second position in which theedges of said clamps are parallel to each other and spaced a greaterdistance apart and during which movement said adjacent edges aremaintained mutually parallel as the distance between said adjacent edgesincreases, and means connected to said frame and to at least one of saidclamps for separating said clamps to pull apart a mat held thereby anduniformly feather the pulledapart mat edges, the combination therewithof the improvement which comprises feeding means for said apparatus,said feeding means including means to separate said mat longitudinallyand to feather adjacent, longitudinal edges of resulting, separated, matsections, the separating means comprising first guiding means forguiding a first longitudinal section of said mat along an upwardlycurved path and second guiding means for guiding a second longitudinalsection of said mat along a downwardly curved path to thereby separatesaid mat sections and uniformly feather the separated edges thereof.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 in which the first guiding meanscomprises a first drum wheel and a first belt trained over a portion ofthe periphery of the first drum wheel and in which the second guidingmeans comprises a second drum wheel and a second belt trained over aportion of the periphery of said second drum wheel.

4. In an apparatus for pulling a feathered edge on a fibrous matcomprising a frame, a pair of relatively movable clamps mounted on saidframe for clamping a pair of portions of said mat with uniform clampingpressures, said clamps being movable from a first clamping position inwhich said portions of the mat are spaced apart with the edges of one ofsaid clamps parallel to and spaced a distance apart from the adjacentedges of the other one of said clamps to a second position in which theedges of said clamps are parallel to each other and spaced a greaterdistance apart and during which movement said adjacent edges aremaintained mutually parallel as the distance between said adjacent edgesincreases, means mo-vably connected to said frame for movement towardandaway from said relatively movable clamps for moving a mat in position tobe clamped thereby, and means connected to said frame and to at leastone of said clamps for separating said clamps to pull apart a mat heldthereby and uniformly feather the pulled-apart mat edges, thecombination therewith of the improvement which comprises feeding meansfor said apparatus, said feeding means including means to separate saidmat longitudinally and to feather adjacent, longitudinal edges ofresulting, separated, mat sections, the separating means comprisingfirst means for driving and guiding a first longitudinal section of saidmat in a first direction, second means for driving and guiding a secondlongitudinal section of said mat in a second direction to therebyseparate said sections and uniformly feather the separated edgesthereof, and means to maintain a substantially constant mat loop lengthbetween said feeding means and said clamps.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 in which the first driving andguiding means comprises a first drum whee-1 and a first belt trainedover a portion of the periphery of said first drum wheel and in whichthe second guiding and driving means comprises a second drum Wheel and asecond belt trained over a portion of the periphery of the second drumwheel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,134,293 4/15Stevens 2251O1 2,740,474 4/56 Harrison 2251 2,761,506 9/56 Rutkus et al225-101 2,835,326 5/58 Hayhurst et al 225-1 ANDREW R. IUHASZ, PrimaryExaminer.

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR PULLING A FEATHERED EDGE ON A FIBROUS MATCOMPRISING A FRAME, A PAIR OF RELATIVELY MOVABLE CLAMPS MOUNTED ON SAIDFRAME FOR CLAMPING A PAIR OF PORTIONS OF SAID MAT WITH UNIFORM CLAMPINGPRESSURES, SAID CLAMPS BEING MOVABLE FROM A FIRST CLAMPING POSITION INWHICH SAID PORTIONS OF THE MAT ARE SPACED APART WITH THE EDGES OF ONE OFSAID CLAMPS PARALLEL TO AND SPACED A DISTANCE APART FROM THE ADJACENTEDGES OF THE OTHER ONE OF SAID CLAMPS TO A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH THEEDGES OF SAID CLAMPS ARE PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND SPACED A GREATERDISTANCE APART AND DURING WHICH MOVEMENT SAID ADJACENT EDGES AREMAINTAINED MUTUALLY PARALLEL AS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID ADJACENT EDGESINCREASES, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FRAME AND TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAIDCLAMPS FOR SEPARATING SAID CLAMPS TO PULL APART A MAT HELD THEREBY ANDUNIFORMLY FEATHER THE PULLED-APART MAT EDGES, THE COMBINATION THEREWITHOF THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES FEEDING MEANS FOR SAID APPARATUS,SAID FEEDING MEANS INCLUDING MEANS TO SEPARATE SAID MAT LONGITUDINALLYAND TO FEATHER ADJACENT, LONGITUDINAL EDGES OF RESULTING, SEPARATED, MATSECTIONS, THE SEPARATING MEANS COMPRISING FIRST GUIDING MEANS FORGUIDING A FIRST LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF SAID MAT IN A FIRST DIRECTIONAND SECOND GUIDING MEANS FOR GUIDING A SECOND LONGITUDINAL SECTION OFSAID MAT IN A SECOND DIRECTION TO THEREBY SEPARATE SAID MAT SECTIONS ANDUNIFORMLY FEATHER THE SEPARATED EDGES THEREOF.